Fire-protective apparatus.



No. 665,6l6. Patented Jan. 8, 1901.

E. .1; McCOBMICK.

FIRE PROTECTIVE APPARATUS (Application filed Jan. 14, l898.| (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 665,6l6. Patented Jan. 8, 190i.

J. MCCORMICK. FIRE PROTEG APPARATUS.

I 7 (Application Jan. :4, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES: A 6M @w%lfe WQ ZJWz-J ATTORNEYS,

UNrTEn STATES PATENT EDWVIN J. MCCORMICK, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCORMICK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FlRE-PROTECTWE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,616, dated January 8, 1901. Application filed January 14, 1898. Serial No. 666,658. (No model) To all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that I, EDWIN J. McCoRMIoK, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Protective Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-protective apparatus for preventing the entrance of fire through the windows of a building, and has for its object the production of an apparatus for the desired purpose which is particularly simple in construction and practical and eifective in use; and to this end it consists in the combination, construction, and arrangement of the parts of a fire-protective apparatus, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like letters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a rear elevation of a building provided with my improved fire-protective apparatus, shown in its position assumed when the shutters are partly open. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 2 2 and 3 3, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a portion of a modified construction of shutter for my improved apparatus.

My improved fire-protective apparatus consists of a continuous actuating member A, movable shutters B, and means for detachably securing the shutters independently to said actuating member. As preferably constructed the actuating member A consists of a chain having substantially upright portions a a, arranged at opposite sides of the rows of shutters B, a substantially horizontal intermediate portion a, united to the lower ends of the portions a a, and continuous substantially horizontal branches a arranged one above the other and formed with downturned ends united to the portions a a. Said actuating member is suitably supported by pulleys a which are secured to the face of the building C, provided with my improved fireprotective apparatus. The actuating memher A is operated by any suitable means, as

a wheel or drum of, engaged with any desirable part of said actuating member, as the intermediate portion a thereof. This drum or wheel is driven either from the interioror the exterior of the building C by any suitable means, unnecessary to herein illustrate and describe, as the same forms no part of my present invention.

The shutters B operate to close the windows c of the building C and are preferably arranged in substantially parallel series one above the other. The upper ends of said shutters are usually supported by suitable guides 19, which are secured in any desired manner to the building C, are generally arranged substantially parallel with the branches a of the actuating member A and in close proximity to said branches, and receive any desirable antifriction-rollers (unnecessary to herein illustrate or describe) secured to the shutters B. The lower ends of the shutters B are usually guided in their movement by rollers 19, supported in proximity to the sills of the windows 0.

The shutters B are detachably secured independently to the continuous actuating member A'in order that any shutter may be detached from said actuating member for permitting its movement without necessitating or preventing movement of the remaining shutters. The means for securing the shutters to the actuating member preferably consistsof arms b projecting laterally from said shutters, and fastening-pieces b for engaging said arms and the branches a of the actuating member A. The arms 17 are preferably formed with guides b extending crosswise of the shutters, and substantially vertical apertures D which open in opposite directions from the guides 19 at an angle therewith and are alined with the openings in the branches a The guides 19 receive the branches a of the actuating member A, as seen in Figs. 2 and '3, and permit said branches or the shutters B to move to and fro independently when not secured together.

The fastening-pieces 6 usually consist of elongated pins having theirlower ends formed with eyes b and fixed shoulders 19 and their upper ends composed of flexible material and split longitudinally for forming flexible portions b Said fastening-pieces are passed upwardly through the apertures b and the openings in the branches a until their fixed shoulders b engage the lower faces of the arms b whereupon the branches of the upper ends of the fastening-pieces are bent downwardly into engagement with the upper faces of said arms. The shutters B are securely locked to the actuating member A when the fasteningpieces b are in their operative position and are readily disengaged therefrom by withdrawing said fastening-pieces from the apertures 17 The withdrawal of the fasteningpieces is readily effected by engaging their lower ends by a suitable tool, as a firemans hook, and by pulling said fastening-pieces downwardly. Their flexible portions 5 then fold together and readily pass through the aperl u res 6 The loss or undue detachment of the fastening-pieces is preferably prevented by movable connections or chains b, which connect the lower ends of said fasteningpieces to the shutters B. The fasteningpieces b form particularly simple and effective means for securing the actuating members A to the arms 5 but it is obvious that any other suitable means may be used for this purpose, if desired.

The shutters of my improved fire-protective apparatus may be provided with upwardly-extending arms for facilitating their securement to the actuating member, as seen in Fig. 4c, in which B represents a shutter provided with an upwardly-extending arm b secured to an actuating member A.

The construction and operation of my invention will now be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings,and it will be particularly noted that the detail construction and arrangement of the component parts of my fire-protective apparatus may be more or less varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fire-protective apparatus comprising a continuous actuating member, a plurality of outside shutters provided with projecting arms formed with guides extending crosswise of the shutters for receiving the actuating member and movable fasteningpieces detachably engaged with the arms and the actuating member, said fastening-pieces having flexible portions for detachably engaging said arms and holding the fastening-pieces in po sition, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A fire-protective apparatus comprising a continuous actuating member, a plurality of outside shutters provided with projecting arms formed with guides extending crosswise of the shutters for receiving the actuating member, and movable fastening-pieces detachably engaged with the arms and the actuating member, said fastening-pieces having separated rigid shoulders and flexible portions for detachably engaging said arms and holding the fastening-pieces in position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A fire-protective apparatus comprising an actuating member having openings therein at intervals, a shutter provided with a projecting arm formed with a guide for receiving the actuating member and with an aperture communicating with the guide and alined with the openings in the actuating member, and a fastening-piece passed through the aperture in the arm and one of the openings in the actuating member, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. A fire-protective apparatus comprising an actuating member, a shutter provided with a projecting arm formed with a guide for receiving the actuating member and with an aperture communicating with the guide'and arranged at an angle therewith, and a fastening-piece passed through the aperture and engaged with the actuating member, said fasteningpiece having a rigid shoulder and a flexible portion for engaging the arm and holding the fastening-piece in position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A fire-protective apparatus comprising a continuous actuating member, a plurality of outside shutters provided with projecting arms formed with guides for receiving the actuating member and with apertures communicating with the guides, and fasteningpieces passed through the apertures and detachably engaged with the actuating member, said fastening-pieces being formed wit-h flexible portions for detachably engaging the arms and holding the fastening-pieces in position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A fire-protective apparatus comprising a continuous actuating member, a plurality of outside shutters provided with projecting arms formed with guides for receiving the actuating member and with apertures communicating with the guides, fastening-pieces passed through the apertures and detachably engaged with the actuating member, said fastoning-pieces being formed with separated rigid shoulders and flexible portions for detachably engaging the arms and holding the fastening-pieces in position, and movable connections between the fastening-pieces and the shutters, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 8th day of January, 1898.

EDWIN J. MCCORMICK.

Witnesses:

SILAs B. BABCOGK, DORA LAVINE. 

